Been riding my suzi for probably 5 years...put about 15000 miles on it during that time and one of the first mods I did was to replace my muffler with one of a pair I bought on e-bay.

I'm never seen them since but they were called "DynoPower" pipes...kind of a Dyna knock off but definitely different (when you look down the pipe it has a big section of the inner pipe bent up for back pressure and then a whole buncha can opener like openings like a normal aftermarket baffle) anyway the exhaust note is pretty aggressive and quite loud...

I got really used to that pipe and it gave good performance but sometimes I longed for something with a more pleasant tone so I bought a nice dyna off a member here last week and installed it just like my old one (no adapter, just slid it on with some gasket material to make it snug and clamped her down).
WOW what a difference! Way quieter than I was expecting but still a nice low rumble.

I always kinda liked the way my old pipe sounded and the fact that anyone within a block could hear me coming (made me feel pretty secure that cagers knew I was there!)
So today I ride to work with the new pipe and I'm actually enjoying the fact that my head isn't resonating with the thunder of the old pipe.
I'm thinking... "I could get used to this"

At lunch I went for my usual ride up the canyon near my work to just try her out...as I'm approaching an intersection with a green light I notice an oncoming car in the left turn lane (something I'm always aware of) and another car in the intersection to my right...

Well, the car to the right just starts pulling out right into my lane. It happened really fast (going about 40) but I pull the clutch, hit the brakes and for the first time my rear tire starts sliding sideways. I countersteer to keep it upright and going somewhat straight as I slide through the intersection approaching the gals front quarter panel...
Thankfully the tire squealed as it was locked and she looked over like
"where did you come from?"
I gave her an astonished look like "what the hell are you doing?" (maybe 2 feet from her window at this point) and steered around her front end...

At the next intersection she was over one lane from me turning left and BOTH the gals in the car were on their cell phones!

Now I'm wondering if I might just go ahead and put the loud pipe back on...I have never had any problems with people not knowing I was there with that pipe...

Thanks Armen,
I ride as though I'm invisible because for the most part I am...I just thought it was weird that the first ride I go on with my quiet pipe is the first time I've had this happen...

I'm going to keep the pipe on for now but I do notice that when I have my loud pipe on (it's not a straight pipe) I often see the drivers looking for where the noise is coming from...

Not sure if I want to keep dodging people but I suppose it could have been a coincidence too  

LOL
Yeah, my other pipe just requires a quick flick of the wrist to backfire...LOUD!
This new one won't even backfire when I shut down...not even a pop

Bubba,
The other thing to consider is that your loud pipe drowns out noises that you could be reacting to.
I try to take responsibility for my own existence. I realize that is a very un-American attitude, but it seems to work for me.
I also believe that my right to swing my fists in the air stops at someone else's nose.
I've never met a non-bikie that said they likes the sound of a really loud bike.
The noise standards on new bikes have happened primarily because of the loud bikes that are on the road. At this point the sound levels are so low that the sound of the air passing over the fins of an air-cooled bike is an issue.
In the 70's when the Kustom Signals KR111 radar guns came out and were thousands of dollars, it only took a few court cases to establish that radar guns held up in court. Then every town bought them and turned speeding tickets into a major cash cow.
My guess is that as soon as one town establishes a simple way to noise check bikes, the practice will spread like wildfire. Imagine how many places a cop could sit with a decibel meter (and sound truck, or whatever they need to prove the case).

I've said it before here, and I'll say it again. You have three friends in motorcycling, your two mirrors and where possible, the big gap all around you. Everything/one else is your real or potential enemy. Your exhaust system won't make a difference, unless you can fart foully enough to drive other animals/humans away from you.

Thanks for all the input...I guess I have grown complacent over the years that's probably why the rumble of my old pipe was making me feel secure...
I must say though that even my non biker friends thought the pipe I had on there sounded great!
These are not a buncha thugs and ruffians either...just regular old suburban folks...Believe me I've heard much louder pipes from the Harley crowd than my pipe was.
I do appreciate the input and I'll probably ride it with the new pipe but up my awareness a notch even though that won't change how folks drive...
Rubber side down!

Could not have said it better than Armen. I just picked up a 2001 Savage with a Supertrapp muffler that had no muffler discs. The PO's wife said she could hear him coming three blocks away. So, kinda a straight pipe with a little packing. Even when I got it going ( spark, carb, etc...), I would not fire it up until I sent for some discs and installed them. I did not want to buy earplugs for myself and all the people on my street . Also, I don't feel like letting the police know I'm coming their way to ticket land. Bad enough around here riders.

Armen wrote on 10/14/16 at 13:39:14:


Amen, brotha!